Four More Austrian Pros Join the Field via Wildcard

A boost for Austria: Four local professionals have been awarded wildcards for the 2026 Austrian Alpine Open and will add to the excitement and drama for the home crowd in Kitzbühel. The invitations, announced during the press conference on May 6, offer the players the chance to showcase their skills at the highest level in front of a home crowd amidst a strong international field.

The Austrian Golf Association ÖGV has awarded three wildcards to Lukas Nemecz, Niklas Regner, and Christoph Bleier. This was supported by a wildcard from SalzburgerLand Tourismus GmbH to Matthias Schwab.

Organizer Ali Al-Khaffaf confirmed at the press conference on May 6 in Kitzbühel that this means the eight highest-ranked Austrian players in the world rankings will be competing at the Austrian Alpine Open. Already confirmed were Sepp Straka, Bernd Wiesberger, and Maximilian Steinlechner, as well as Timon Baltl, who secured his spot in April by winning this year’s Audi Circuit.

“The fact that Austria’s top players will all be teeing off at the Austrian Alpine Open sends a strong signal for the sport of golf in Austria. With the top eight Austrians in the world rankings, the audience will get exactly the field this tournament deserves,” said Ali Al-Khaffaf.

An overview of the four wildcard players

Lukas Nemecz

After an impressive amateur career, Lukas Nemecz of GC Murhof turned pro in 2012. The following year, he played his first full season on the Alps Tour, finishing his rookie year in 5th place and earning a Challenge Tour card (now the HotelPlanner Tour). In 2015, he made the jump to the DP World Tour via the Qualifying Tour, but was unable to retain his playing privileges there. He celebrated his first professional victory in 2017 at the Gösser Open on the Alps Tour and returned to the Challenge Tour in the following year. In 2020, he won the Gösser Open again. In 2021, he qualified for the 2022 DP World Tour season by finishing tenth in the Road to Mallorca rankings. He started strong with a third-place finish, ended the season ranked 84th, and achieved his best world ranking of 224th. Since 2024, Nemecz has been playing on the Hotel Planner Tour again. This year, he has already finished fourth there and is currently ranked in the top 20 of the Road to Mallorca rankings.

Niklas Regner

Born in Schladming, he was not only a successful golfer as a teenager but also a very good skier; however, he chose to pursue a career as a professional golfer. He was an outstanding amateur, turned pro in 2021, and, thanks to several invitations, was able to start directly on the Challenge Tour (now the HotelPlanner Tour). There, he immediately achieved some respectable results and secured his playing privileges for the upcoming season in his very first year.  Regner played on the HotelPlanner Tour through 2024 before joining the Asian Development Tour in 2025. He not only achieved strong results in Asia but also capped off a trip back home in August with a victory at the National Open Championships. In October, he first achieved a top-20 finish on the Asian Development Tour, followed by a tie for 7th place, and finally celebrated his first title at the Egyptian Open. He finished 7th in the season’s overall rankings, thereby earning promotion and playing on the Asian Tour this season.

Christoph Bleier

Christoph Bleier turned pro during the 2025–2026 season after achieving numerous national and international successes as an amateur competitive golfer. Among other achievements, he won several Austrian championships, triumphed at the 2023 NCAA Auburn Regional Championship, and won the 2025 NCAA Duck Invitational. In 2025, he finished 49th as the top amateur at the Interwetten Open on the HotelPlanner Tour, won the Austrian National Championships, and placed second at the PGA Championship of Austria.

This year, Bleier has already finished two tournaments in 6th place as a professional on the Alps Tour. In March, he secured an outstanding 2nd place at the Indorama Ventures Open Golf Championship in India against a strong field, despite a difficult journey—a successful preparation for the HotelPlanner Tour, where he is currently competing.

Matthias Schwab

Matthias Schwab achieved numerous significant successes as an amateur. He won titles at national and international amateur championships, and in 2012, at the age of 17, he reached the final of the Amateur Championship at Royal Troon. That same year, he was a member of the European Junior Ryder Cup team, and in the years that followed, he represented Europe in major team competitions.

At Vanderbilt University, he was named an “All-American” twice. He ended his amateur career as the top-ranked European in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Schwab already caused quite a stir at a professional tournament as a 15-year-old: At the 2010 Austrian Open, he was sensationally in the top 10 at one point and finished the tournament in 32nd place.

In 2017, Schwab, a SalzburgerLand Testimonial, turned pro and played his first season on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) the following year. In 2019, he achieved several top results, including a second-place finish at the Porsche European Open and the Turkish Airlines Open. At the end of the season, he ranked 17th in the Race to Dubai standings.

In 2021, Schwab qualified for the PGA Tour and played there through 2023. After two more years on the DP World Tour, Schwab is competing on the Hotel Planner Tour this season.

Matthias Schwab promptly capped off his comeback at the Audi Circuit this year with a victory at GC Finkenstein.